100941386 Barron J
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The Giving Trees: Community Orchards as New Urban Commons by Jennifer Barron A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Geography and Environmental Studies Carleton University Ottawa, Ontario © 2018 Jennifer Barron COMMUNITY ORCHARDS AS NEW URBAN COMMONS Abstract This thesis explores community orchards through the lens of the commons. Grounded in extensive qualitative research at nine orcharding sites in three Canadian cities (Vancouver, Victoria, and Toronto) the author explores the meaning and purpose of community orchards to those who create and maintain them; the ways in which they can be conceived of as commons, and what community orchards can teach us about the challenges and potential of producing and sustaining new urban commons. The author advances the view that community orchards are much less about the fruits produced within them, and more about the production of urban space as new kinds of commons. The production of these food commons entails four main tasks: resisting enclosure, appropriating space for community, decommodifying exchange, and claiming power to shape the city, in collaboration with municipal administrations. As contributions to food security, community orchards work at deeper levels than might first be imagined, having less to do with what volunteer orchardists get in the way of free fruit and more to do with what they give through the medium of the orchards – to themselves, to each other, and to their communities. Keywords: commons, community orchards, community gardens, decommodification, neoliberalism, food security, food commons II COMMUNITY ORCHARDS AS NEW URBAN COMMONS Acknowledgements I have so many people to thank for their unique roles in helping me get to this point today. First, I thank Harjap Grewal, of the Council of Canadians, and Pat Cameron for inspiring me to start on this journey. It is possible that neither will ever know what a profound influence they had on me. I thank the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) for entrusting me with the generous support of a Bombardier doctoral fellowship; and Carleton University for the scholarships and research assistantship that were so helpful in supporting me and my family for the first four years. I also thank the Selkirk College Faculty Association (SCFA) for critical tuition support in years four and five. I thank graduate program supervisor Dr. Fran Klodawsky, who refused to let me quit in the first year of my doctoral studies when I desperately wanted to, and who wisely advised me not to make major irrevocable life decisions in the midst of grief. I thank Phil Forsyth of the Philadelphia Orchard Project (POP), and Robyn, Bri, Lisa, Ryan, Alex, and Marian who shared with me their beautiful community orchards in Philadelphia. I thank those in Vancouver and Victoria to whom I also spoke but didn’t formally interview, including Elise, Kerrie, Sarah, Mila, Eric, and Sage; and Sarah in Ottawa, who let me practise interviewing on her. I am most deeply grateful for the passion, enthusiasm, and articulate expression of all those I interviewed: Hartley, Susan, Jodi, Sherry, Linda, Hannah, Jane, Julia, Matthew, Lisa, Martin, David, Wayne, Melissa, Tom, John, Patti, Lynn, Yoshi, Augusta, Sara, Carmen, Tanya, Helen, George, Séan, Brian, Stephanie, Sylvia, Virginie, Joe, Zsuzsa, Jo, Cassandra, Betsy and Deanna. I thank you all for your time, care, and stimulating conversations – you are the heart of it all. III COMMUNITY ORCHARDS AS NEW URBAN COMMONS I thank Joanne MacKinnon for putting me up at her condo in Vancouver many times when I came to town for research visits. In Nelson, I am so very appreciative of Randy, Mary Ann, Judith, George, and Cara-lee for giving me beautiful places to live and write between January and June 2018. I thank many dear friends who have seen me through the toughest times – Jocelyn, Allison, Janet, Dana, Joan, Bessie, Caroline, Karina; Erin for the constant reminder that “we can do hard things”; and the ever-generous Sarah, John, and Sue who were the first to celebrate with me when I finished. I thank my mom, Lowell, and my sisters, Naomi, Julie, and Katie for offering encouragement, love, and moral support at critical moments. I thank my late father, John, who would have been so proud to see me finish but who only made it to the end of my first year of doctoral studies. I always felt his sincere encouragement, even while he had much bigger things on his mind. I thank my beloved children, Quinn and Felix, for their forbearance, and my former partner Erik, for maintaining a steady presence through it all. You were all such good sports moving to Ottawa for eight months; I hope at least that the great skiing made it all worthwhile! Finally, I thank my committee members, Irena and Charles, for their insights and trust in me, and my wonderful doctoral advisor, Dr. Patricia Ballamingie, who showed such great empathy and always knew what to say in every meeting to motivate and inspire me to continue and do my best work. I chose Carleton to work with you, Trish, and your belief in me has made all the difference. IV COMMUNITY ORCHARDS AS NEW URBAN COMMONS Table of Contents ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................................... II! ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................................... III! LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................................... VII! PREFACE ............................................................................................................................................... 1! CHAPTER 1 - AN INVITATION TO COMMUNITY ORCHARDS .............................................. 5! "#$!%&'()*+,'%)&!################################################################################################################################!-! "#"!.()./0/'%)&!1/!2(%34!5%6')(7!)4!,)88+&%'7!)(,5/(*69!################################################################!:! "#;!0(/4'%&0!1,)88+&%'7!)(,5/(*6!%&!(3</'%)&!')!,)88+&%'7!0/(*3&69!##########################################!""! 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CHAPTER 3 - METHODOLOGY .................................................................................................... 72! =#$!%&'()*+,'%)&!##############################################################################################################################!?;! =#"!)&')<)0%,/<!/&*!3.%6'38)<)0%,/<!,)&6%*3(/'%)&6!#######################################################################!?;! =#;!83'5)*)<)0%,/<!%66+36!################################################################################################################!??! =#=!3'5%,6!##########################################################################################################################################!B$! =#@!83'5)*6!#####################################################################################################################################!B"! =#-!/&/<76%6!######################################################################################################################################!C"! =#:!,53,A%&0!#####################################################################################################################################!C;! =#?!,)&,<+6%)&!#################################################################################################################################!C=! 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